It could make for some interesting stories devout priests who get power from their deities versus irreligious wizards who use their own will as magic, bio-mages who draw upon the weak but flexible power of living organisms versus geo-mages who draw upon the mighty yet unsubtle power of the land itself, Incidentally, all examples you have given, Cay Reet, are about how (most) magic-users cannot use all types of magic; do you think that a system in which magic-users could learn all possible magic (at least theoretically) but what is possible for magic in total is strictly limited could work? Actually, one of the principles of old-time portions-making was that a plant which looks like a certain body part is good for curing that body part (actual results may vary). The primary purpose of a soft magic system is to contribute to the atmosphere of your story. Here are four common categories you can consider. Ive been working on a magic system in my head, but would like help on a few things. Soft magic is vague, undefined, and enigmatic. If I were you, I would make sure every complication you have is something thats important to you. (Storm God = sky domain = bird ? If you are not creating a game, where you want a firemage be as powerful as a dark wizard for balancing sake, your magic doesnt need to be symmetrical. Many horror movies use soft magic systems to create a sense of fear and dread, while childrens books might use soft magic systems to create a sense of excitement and adventure. In fact, I suspect it might make more sense than what Chris Winkle says in the original article. In the Norse pantheon, Loki is sometimes also referred to as the god of fire despite the fact that hes a frost giant. The story looks like a fantasy story at first, with characters manipulating threads or ley lines. The random Magic Type Generator is a free online tool that lets you generate random Magic Type content for your fantasy or writing project with the click of a button. A puddle could be vaporized at will, only to have the water redistributed at a later time, again at the will of the one controlling the exchange. Without the explanation you added (glutton for punishment), that sounds more like someone who consumes a lot. You will always need to wing it there, because you introduce something which has no base in our worlds reality. Maybe something with an eclipse? Its unclear whether there are any other self-casting old magic spells besides this one. Its really creative and for the most part completely logical (and since the people in the story are acolytes, there is no scientific explanation needed since it all seems to fit within your model). This may or may not be an insuperable obstacle. It doesn't have to be something natural either, it could be a machine or body enhancement, like a tattoo. Forms of magic include fire magic, light magic, healing magic, and transformation magic. Now I think I covered everything, please comment, I accept anything you want to contribute, thank you. For instance, lets say magic is powered by a substance found within the soil. sheer warp threads create plain physical structures such as a ball and weft webs can add fire and velocity to that ball. Skill in this magic system is all about how little inspiration you need to produce your own energy; How many methods of create, increase or decrease you can do & How many energy types you can work with; and how much energy you can actually produce at once. To give them an exceptional ability that stands out from the masses, change or break one rule youve established for your magic system. You need to make your sub-types of magic logical parts of the main type of magic. Because minds were immaterial, physical brain damage wouldnt really affect thoughts, personality, and so on, instead mostly things such as the ability to move and regulate basic bodily functions. Can ones magical abilities be stolen or suppressed through fantastical or physical means? Maybe Im just saying this because Id defend Harry Potter to the ends of the earth. Hey, dont know if anyones still commenting on this but here goes. Since the protagonists are on this side, it would remove a lot of tension. Just knowing how everything works can go a long way. We'll also throw some brainstorming questions your way to help get those magical creative juices flowing! I wouldnt work with spells with such a system. Source Materials Who and what wields it How to wield it What are the powers? I forget the episode but Aang (obviously) and Zaheer do it also. So, early on in our history, humanity was deemed too dangerous to stay in the greater multiverse. An alchemist transmutes lead into gold. Conduits take magic energy from their surroundings, and Interferers take energy from Conduits to do magic by adding a bit of energy to the system (making a gust blow harder than it would, for example). The knots must be undone, causing the reverse effect as the original magic, and rewoven into the fabric of reality. Who will use magic: the protagonist (hard magic), or the antagonist / side characters (soft magic)? 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(plants take the water from the ground and transpire it at night, so its balanced in some sense) If thats not the case(scientific understanding of the world), how do they explain a fire dying out or lightning? Oh, and the fantasy series Im cooking up is called Fantasia. Usually, magic comes from magic users, the gods, magical creatures, or a specific substance. But those who have returned have never been inside the Tower. will you include other living beings that conduct photosynthesis like phytoplankton or algae? When a mage makes a contract with a spirit, what are they paying with? All are well known for changing things theyre associated with into other things or even changing other women into one of them, so that can be fun. They worship and revere the Living Mother (what we might call Mother Earth) in her role as custodian and bringer of balance. Second, look through all the essential pieces of spell creation and casting, and think how the casting process might fail at each step. Offensive like elemental magic and short time manipulation magic etc. Why is it important for a hard magic system to have rules? If your mage has a limit on their powers (and having a human with unlimited powers is probably going to break a story, at least with that human being the hero), the limit must always be the same or you need to give a reason why it is different (the character is exhausted and thus cant muster as much magic or the character took a specific potion which boosted their powers, for instance). Terminology is pretty difficult to deal with, because there isnt a big enough shared vocabulary for storytelling to have the discussions we need to have on the site. What limitations does the magic put on the wielder? Regardless, having nature spirits of various kinds that have power related to their aspect of nature is completely reasonable. The jammers are slowly getting weaker, and the nanites, while the have mostly settled in these past centuries, slowly encroach upon the population. That source has to be available to a spellcaster, and that spellcaster needs to direct it to accomplish specific goals. I gave the most basic rundown I could. My magic system is based on the Netflix show, The Dragon Prince, because I really like how dynamic and diverse its magic system is. And you have the buffer, often a rogue or priest, who can either buff the own group (healing, boosting skills) or debuff the enemy (lowering attack or defence most often). Harry realizes what hes done and looks for a counter-spell, instead of just hopelessly thinking Oh no! Should I make what Interferers can do more specific (not just adding-energy-to-system)? If you want to go with something necromantic (as spectre and ghoul suggest), you might be able to find something more fitting in that area. There is no right way to build a magic system. For instance, some animals can also cast magic, and they do it pretty much the same way people do. Spirits that become familiars dont affect ambient energy levels, making casters bound to them potential weapons, but also wild cards (whether theyll help you depends on both their own desires and their familiars). Four Ways to Limit Magic & Technology Those limits are important! A person can use their mental conviction to create any of these energy forms by channeling the Ether (Breaking the law of Conservation- Something from Nothing). The size of those continental plates and their placement on the planet would be an arbitrary effect of nature, and so the magic they generate might reflect those arbitrary characteristics. A wizard casts a powerful spell. It would foreshadow his powers at the end of the story, when he faces off against Voldemort controlling all types of magic. For example, you can create a magic system that has very clear rules for your protagonist but only vague rules for your antagonist. Willpower is ultimately the deciding factor between to evenly matched opponents. In the fourth book, Harry doesnt know any flying spells, so he uses the Summoning Spell to call his broomstick. Make magic tricky and fickle. Otherwise, the humans world will fall apart. (Arguably, before the development of modern science, many people had similar attitudes towards technology! Easier than fire/heat and air/wind, but it takes training.). One of my characters is able to beg the Storm God for help without making a proper appeal because they danced nearly every day for 5 years. A cunning ex-adventurer named Wlfrilda seeks a company of adventurers to explore the Pikawas Jungle. But magical things do have specific usesHarry writes essays on the uses of different plants in potion-making, for example. Id especially suggest that, because your holy magic is used by priests, so it, too, is tied to the gods. Common People (Theyre so common that they dont really have a name.) Mana could be used right from surrounding world or produced from other types of energies. Give me your thoughts! For just one example, Magoroh Maruyama describes several different possible paradigms of science, which Robert A. Freitas Jr. mentions in the book Xenology in relation to extraterrestrial minds. Just because the system has volumes of lore and backstory to support it doesnt make it a rational system, though it does help to make it more believable. Now its time to decide why magic cant do anything and everything the spellcaster wants, whenever they want. I think rule based magic is important for worldbuilding, not novel writing. was really misleading. to be a Mind, whose role is to Think; and the Magic comes when it is possible to use that Thinking to affect what Is and what is possible to Be. mental enhancements, the nanites acting as auxiliary brains. The duration for using paint is limited and if your paint bottle runs out life will slowly start to sap out of you. Vindictive/less scrupulous ones will take the opportunity to ask for more than youd normally give. Ill give a quick(ish) rundown of the basic foundation that lays the groundwork that I have so far for the magic system, Ill go into more detail if anyones interested. Our bills are paid by our wonderful patrons. You just feel the spell, you dont need to recite anything.
Worldbuilding sheet: Magic systems - v2 - DeviantArt Magic certain individuals acquire the ability to issue new instructions to existing nanites, whether in the environment or within others bodies. Elements are a system which people understand easily, other systems would have demanded more explanation. Thats because Disney movies are based on fairy tales and fairy tales dont write up rules for magic. I also like the conspiracy, theres not many like that in high fantasy which makes it cool. While both of these magic systems have mysterious aspects, in general they dont invoke wonder because they are understood. In another world (a fantasy high-magic setting), I havent fleshed out quite as much, but I do know that magic is powered by your soul, which is also needed to run all brain activity. Now, of course, this is magic and doesnt have to follow real life but by the same token, as in real physics, it doesnt necessarily have to seem sensible to humans (think of how weird quantum mechanics is). I would start with some metaphysical idea about exactly what functions these threads are performing to hold the world together. (oops, forget this one!). Its just something to be careful about. Emotion-based powers arent impossible, just easy to do in a way thats ultimately unsatisfying. There are many assumptions in this article, it only focused on a small, known part of magic. Theres no balance, nothing to sacrifice for the use of magic. Caster is Shocker, Given is Air and Weather Last, heres a fun chart showing the details of magic systems in the most popular works. Though I have some questions mainly concerning what allows some to manipulate this balance for a certain time? Sandersons First Law There are 391 different powers and variations in this generator, so you're bound to find one you like. However, as we are all well aware humanity and its constructs are fragile things and some event happens that upsets the norm; war, a terrorist attack on these factories, solar flare, etc Regardless this event causes a change within these factories, the main computer systems get a little bit fried, perhaps even gain a modicum of self-awareness. Sounds right to me). Preview. Your success depends on your knowledge of the gods, your relationship with the god, and your ability to make an appeal. Waving around a wand isnt as simple as you bang it out to be. Otherwise you have near-god mages with no limits, who will hurt your story more than they will serve it. A grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor in one package. Here, you would have to add something else, perhaps a boost a telepath receives (again, remember the unused potential of muscles, if you want to), which allows for them to reach out and tap into another brain. Its crazy long but definitely adds logic to the system :D and its a nerdy heaven. But that doesnt mean all magic systems work equally well for stories. lost nanotechnology (difficult to justify how that would be forgotten) Not sure what I mean? There is a bit more magic involved in the storyline, but just for that part, do you think that all makes sense? Do you need sage, or can you use oak leaves instead? Both Harry Potter and Avatar: The Last Airbender are hard magic systems, because they explain magic and its rules to the audience. It takes decades to master a Type of magic, and some mages (any magic user, human, dragon person, whatever) spend their whole lives perfecting one spell. There could be just one type your system is already very interesting or more than one. Basically the spirits want more knowledge of the human world, to experience it through human eyes. In many worlds such as Star Wars, this force is generated by living things. Everything in Tolkiens world is carefully designed to avoid being preachy; but most of it also has a carefully thought out moral and spiritual basis, and certain elements (like whether orcs have free will, and are therefore capable of redemption, and the implications of what that means in terms of how the good characters treat them and the conflict with the literary need for a clearly identifiable group of bad guys) troubled him to the end of his life and which he was never able to resolve to his own satisfaction. Your different factions have magic that feels very different, and thats hard to put into a rational system. As long as your explanation isnt a slap in the face of physical laws we all know, theres no problem from that side. I forgot to mention the Towers :(. Group A (yet to be named) uses magic as soon as they feel it, even if they dont want to and are by far the rarest. All magic is governed strictly by the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which says that in order to obtain something, something else of equal value must be lost. When the protagonists need to create something, the readers understand exactly what materials they need to sacrifice. o_o. But it also refers to the effects of the nanite plague. Telekinesis: You mention psychics using their own energy for telekinesis. A lot of magical effects can only affect creatures that are magic, or affect them much more strongly. He exerts his own living will in opposition against the tendency towards balance. You can make it as cool as you like; think Discworld, Middle Earth, Zamonia, etc. They have averge control over their ability. Or maybe have subtypes based on the seven deadly sins and heavenly virtues? None of those energies could be stored by characters themselves, so they can only use energies from environment. If you think about it, youll realize theres no reason not to have a rational system. (For the record, though, strong emotion results in power use isnt actually a element I like in a system.). You can get away with a strange assortment if you have mechanics that explain it.
Ideas for Original & Unique Magic Systems : r/fantasywriters - reddit Not using items doesn't have to mean a magic wielder is always capable of wielding it though. Are all individuals able to tap into the magic source or only a lucky few?
Magic source description generator - Fantasy name generators Okay, now that thats our of the way The flavor might be of magic based on communication with spirits, although these spirits do have to obey at least some physical laws. However, if were shown the hero struggling more in fights as a result of exhaustion after using said ability (e.g. You could also INCREASE existing energy in an object (Eg- Can make a Moving ball move faster) Or you could DECREASE existing energy in an object (Eg- Can make a Moving ball slow down and even stop & become completely static). I love your blog a lot, but Im annoyed with your bashing of the Harry Potter series in almost every article. Motion/kinetic energy: you stop an object in its tracks. Because water is more tangible than air and fire, it is likewise easier to hold on to. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. Also I thought about it and further developed it. These effects all involve either draining, manipulating or sensing magical forces, including the stuff that runs the internal workings of magical creatures. Or it could indeed be a matter of merely thinking things into existence specific ability necessary. No, the water is surely a curse and warning from the mother, who draws the water from the plants themselves as a punishment for stealing the most precious of energy, sunlight itself.